Edward l



i "To all whom' it maf/concern nnwARD L. BERTHONQ or FAREHAM, ENGLAND.

FOLDING LIFE-BOAT.

\ sfeieeation bf Letters Patent No. 12,537, dated March 2o, 1855.

`Be known fthatl, EDWARD LYON Bun- THON, of Fareham, in the county of Hants, England,master of arts, have invented certain `new and useful Improvements `in, Boats; ,and I" do herebydeclare thatxthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being made to the annexedffdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a` perspective view partly in section. Figs. 2 and 3 are sections in detail,

and similar letters `of" reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.

My invention is particularly applicable to the life boats carried `by ships for the safety of the` passengersand crew in case of abandonment of the vessel at sea, though it is `also applicable to boats for any other purposes, to pontoons, &c.", and it consists in so constructing them that adequate capacity `andstrength shall befcombined `with the property of being collapsible at pleasure `whereby when used "as ships boats they may be stowed outboard if desired, and thus vessel be enabledtoearry a large number.

The construction `is as follows: A strong ""timber A is prepared to form' the' keel or back bone of the boat, and a -stem and stern 30` post arel rinly affixed to it as seenat B.

VNear the upper ends of the stem and of the stern post are hinged `a series of curved timbers, equal innumber on eachside, and extending from the stem to the stern. The upper timbers `c are toform the gunwale of the boat, and. may be of suchcurve that a Utop 'ofthat of'a whale boat. Belowl this, two,

view would exhibitthe general outline three, or more are placed on each sideyof such curve and form as will afford an appropriate shape ,and as seen at d, (e. These timbers are hingedtothe post B in such manner that they may either have a `radial f1 fposition,`as`in Fig. 3, at c, d, e, or beallowed to fold against the post and keel pieces as at c', el', e.` Havingbeen extended at proper distances fromeach other to give the required shape a cover `f of strong canvass, `rendered water vand air proof, or other suitable flexible waterproof material, is next secured tightly over the outside andforms, as it were, the equivalent of the usual plankingr Wales `or strips of wood or bands of metal are then put on over this, `directly `against each timber as seen at g, IL, z', lo, and

being fastened firmly to those, serve the double purpose of protecting the prominent lines from wearing by contact, and also securing the canvass lirmly in place. `The wale on the bottom at lo, may be made largerlthan the others and serve as a keel.

The inner edges of the timbers are then to have canvass or other iexible materials of the same character as that upon' the outside, extended upon them, as seen at Z and secured by wales in like manner. The bottom boards may now be put in, being come posed of two long planks with battens below m, m, hinged together along the center, and at their outer edges to the lower wales as shown at n, n. The thwarts p, are also jointed at their centers o, and hinged to one of the wales at the ends 1". The bottom boards rest along the center upon that wale which is put over the keel piece A and rising from the wale under each thwart, is a stud s, upon which the center of the thwarts may also rest. The bottom boards and the thwarts arehinged along their center line in order that when thev boat is collapsed t-he two parts of each may be folded up and lstand at an acute angle, as seen by reference to the same parts in Fig. 2. The centers of the bottom boards and of the thwarts have also joints, and thus they form toggles by which the boat is mainly kept distended.

Two or more toggles of Asimilar construction on each side keep the gunwale timbers c, in the expanded position-oneof these is seen at t, Fig. 1, and they extend from the floor Near the two to the wale on the timber c. ends of each of the timbers c, el, e, an aperture "v, is out `through toallow of the influx and e'tliux of air in expanding or collapsing the boat and those in the-gunwale e, may be covered by any suitable cap if desirable.

The boat thus constructed may be closely l .folded so as to permit it being stowed against the bulwarks of a vessel. In Fig. 2 is a representation, in section, of a boat partially closed and suspended alongside the bulwark of aship from a derrick by strings attached to the` gunwale of the boat. This derrick may be stepped at its lower end on a chainwale,` and then to lower away the boat, so soon as the derrick is dropped forward as a davit, the boat will expand by its own weight asV seen in the dotted lines. The

air flows 'into the apertures o, filling the longitudinal compartments inclosed by the outer and inner canvass and `between the timbers. The bottom boards and thethwarts fall into their proper horizontal positions by gravity, the boat keeper jumps in and sets the toggles, Which sustain the gunwales, and the boat is ready for use. When hoisted again to this position it may, for the purpose of collapsing, be suspended by a single pendant at each end. The oints of the gun- Wale toggles being now pulled a little inward and the centers of the floor and -of the thwarts being raised a little, the boat Will collapse by its own Weight, the air from the compartments passing out at the apertures as it entered. The davits may be now topped up and the Whole brought close to the ships bulwark Where it may be secured by appropriate trappings. In addition to these a tarpaulin, painted like the Vessel may be securely covered over it, and thus the boat may be carried outboard in safety.

with the keel when the boat is collapsed, as

described.

E. L. BERTHON.

Witnesses:

R. A. BRooMAN, ALEXR. SHAIP. 

